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Mobile TV viewers to exceed 2bn by 2017

Consumer demand for video on mobile devices continues to soar thanks to short-form clips and more powerful devices, with UK firm Juniper Research now predicting that there will be 2bn mobile and tablet users watching TV and video on their devices by 2017.

The report adds that mobile is increasingly being used as the primary screen for consuming TV and video content by younger viewers, who now intuitively share content via their devices, and by viewers in developing markets who may not have access to fixed broadband.

Western Europe is expected to account for the most mobile TV viewers by 2017, representing over a fifth of the global user base. The Social TV market is also expected to grow significantly to 2017, as the market matures and key players develop their business models.

Report author Siân Rowlands points out that “we are now seeing companies such as YouTube trialling paid channels to get a slice of the marketplace. This will have incredible repercussions throughout the mobile space given YouTube comes preinstalled on an immense number of devices and the Android platform’s billing options”.

However, it remains to be seen whether YouTube will be successful with this new monetisation model, according to Juniper, which points out that similar paid channels were launched back in 2011 with limited success.

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